Circus of Four Souls
by Chris-San
Summary: The characters of Inuyasha all take the parts of performers in a modern, small tent, travelling circus. However, life in the circus isn't all dazzle and glamour, and Kagome's about to find out, the hard way.
1. Preface

*~*~*~*~*

Circus of Four Souls

Preface

Kagome walked out of the small tent and into the cool open air of late evening, half listening to the exited comments of her little brother Souta, and half reminiscing in her own memories of the performance she had just seen. Although it sounded lame to admit, Kagome loved the small circuses that came to visit their area from time to time. Usually the only people who came to see them were families with young children, but Kagome still liked to watch the small skits of the clowns, and see the exotic animals that were paraded around the ring almost close enough to touch. 

Today's circus had offered some really interesting sights. There had been a magician/clown who had made one volunteer's twenty dollar bill disappear, then claimed with a perfectly serious face that he could not bring it back because he didn't know where it had disappeared to. The same man had stepped a little too far when he had gone and groped the woman he was supposed to be cutting in half, but one of the other circus women, with a high ponytail, had gotten back at him by smacking him on the head and then dragging him off stage. It was pretty humorous to watch. 

The same woman turned out to be the keeper of some type of exotic cat that Kagome had never seen before. It looked almost like a sabre-toothed tiger, only lighter in colour and with two tails. Kagome watched amazed as the beautiful creature leapt gracefully through a hoop of flames, and then gasped when the woman had dared to mount the magnificent beast and leap through the same hoop astride the great feline. Amazing. 

Another woman had found some way of shooting arrows that gave off strange lights, like fireworks as they streamed through the air and hit their targets, dead centre. Souta loved that part the best, he said, especially because the woman shooting them looked exactly like his favourite Ne-chan. 

Their contortionist had been absolutely adorable. The little girl, appearing to be no more than eight years old, had managed to almost effortlessly walk around on her small little hands before folding herself into all sorts of strange shapes. She looked so cute, especially dressed in a small old fashioned Japanese kimono. She looked just like a doll.

The clown was also a child. A young boy reaching maybe up to Kagome's knee. He seemed, however, to be incredibly witty and very fluent with his language. With the help of the other performers, mainly the magician, he had Kagome and almost all the rest of the audience rolling in the aisles. It was great. 

The juggler was another good looking guy about Kagome's age. His ultimate feat was keeping eight flaming torches going without dropping them once. Kagome always hated watching people do that, because it looked so easy to just reach out and grab the wrong end of the torch, it was scary. At the end of the act, Kagome was almost certain the young man had winked at her, making her blush before swaggering off the stage, his long black hair, tied up in a high ponytail, swaying behind him. 

It was the animal trainer, however, that really captured Kagome's attention. With a full head of long, snow white hair and eyes as yellow as the setting sun, he looked more exotic than some of the animals he had been showing. Kagome was impressed. All the animals, the camels, the emu's, the horses, the hippo, and even the eewy, icky, snakes looked to be in perfect health, which was something Kagome didn't often see in circuses like this. Kagome's favourite animals, however, had to have been the group of great white shaggy dogs. Their tricks had been executed perfectly, and with the colour of their eyes and fur, they seemed to go with their trainer perfectly.

The same trainer also beat out the magician and the juggler in a weight lifting contest that had been held for the audiences entertainment. He lost to the juggler, though, in the tumbling competition when the juggler had managed to pull of a flip and a half in mid air and come down in a perfect handstand. Again, Kagome thought she saw him wink at her as the animal trainer growled at him behind his back. 

All in all, it had been a great show, one of the best, in fact. She could honestly say that she hadn't enjoyed a circus this much since her father had last taken her to one, before he had passed away...

"Hey, Ne-chan, I wanna run away and join the circus!" Souta exclaimed, running up to her and grabbing her hand. Kagome smiled at him before grabbing his hand and kneeling down to his height. 

"And what would you like to do, Souta-chan?" She asked sweetly as her mother and grandfather watched from a few steps ahead. 

"I wanna be a clown!" he yelled, his eyes sparkling. Kagome's smile widened as she bent down to give her brother a hug and lift him into her arms. She gave him a stern look. 

"Well I'm afraid I can't let you do that." she mock scolded. 

Souta pouted, and then let out a whiney "Why??" 

Kagome smiled again. "Because I'd miss you too much!"

Souta thought about this for a moment, before sighing, "Yeah, I'd miss you too Ne-chan. And Mama, and Ji-chan."

There was a solemn pause...

"Hey look! They're selling cotton candy! I'm gonna go ask Mama if I can get some!" And with that he leapt out of Kagome's arms and ran over to her. Kagome smiled. Yes, she still missed her father, but in the wake of his death, they had all grown so much closer that it was easy to fill the void, or at least push it out of her mind. 

"DAMN IT! COME BACK HERE!!!"

Kagome suddenly spun around as a white streak raced through the crowd, followed quickly by an angry looking animal trainer with equally white hair. Kagome saw that it was one of the white dogs, but it couldn't have been one of the ones that had performed tonight, because this one had the markings of a crescent moon on its brow. The crowd rippled with light laughter as the dog ran away down the street, being quickly chased by it's cussing trainer and several other members of the circus gang. Kagome laughed too, but secretly hoped that the animal wouldn't give them too much trouble. Circus life wasn't easy, she knew. They didn't need more difficulties then they already had.

Out of the corner of her eye Kagome saw the juggler arguing heatedly with a police officer in uniform. These guys never got a break, she thought. Even if they were perfectly harmless, nobody really wanted them anywhere. Kagome sighed and ran to catch up with the rest of her family.

*~*~*~*~*

The next afternoon,

"Kagome, could you go pick Souta up from Satorou's house. Dinner should be done by the time you get back." 

"Aw, but Mama, I've got so much homework to do. He's old enough, why can't he walk home by himself. He's done it before."

"Yes, but that dog that escaped from the circus last night still hasn't been caught, and you know how scared Souta is of stray dogs." Kagome gave her mother a pleading look, only to be rewarded with a scolding one. "Come on Kagome, don't give me that look. It's a good excuse to take a break anyway, you'll ruin your eyes."

"Alright, alright." Kagome gave in and got ready to leave, grabbing her umbrella just in case. The sky had clouded over and was starting to look rather dark. The weather man had predicted it would possibly rain all night. 

The walk to Satorou's was pretty uneventful, and the first drops of rain were just starting to fall when Kagome was already starting to head home with Souta in tow. Souta was not in a good mood. 

"Come on Kagome? Can't I stay at Sotaru's house? His mom was going to bake us Pizza! I'm so sick of oden I could puke!!" 

"Hey, you should be thankful for the food you get!" Kagome said defensively. Oden happened to be her favourite dish. "Besides, Mama is already expecting you to be home. You know how much she likes us to eat together as a family, so just do this, for mama's sake." 

Beside her, Souta sighed under the protection of the umbrella as the rain grew harder. "Oh, alright. Just this once, but next time I-" 

He stopped short as something clattered in one of the small alleys as they walked by. Kagome took a few steps forward, expecting Souta to follow her the moment he stared to get wet. Instead, he just stood there, staring at something. 

"H-hey N-ne-chan." His voice was suddenly shaking, "Th...they didn't catch that dog that escaped last night...did they...?"

Kagome thought for a moment. He sure was acting weird, she walked back over and covered him with her umbrella so he wouldn't get soaked. "No...why do you ask?" She stared down at her bother's paling face, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. Just continued stammering for a moment. Finally he managed to speak. 

"B-b-because it's right there..." 

Surprised, Kagome finally followed her brother's gaze where it lead into the ally. Her heart stopped. 

There it was. A great, big, white, shaggy dog with a mark of a crescent moon on it's brow. Kagome gulped as it's head suddenly snapped up, and a growl emitted from it's throat. Kagome felt her own throat constrict as Souta let out a frightened squeak and clutched at her skirt. 

"N-n-n-NE-CHAN!!"

The dog got into a crouching position, and Kagome's did the only thing her instincts told her to. "Souta, Run!"

He didn't need to be told twice, that was for sure. He took off as fast as his little legs could carry him, Kagome in quick pursuit. She threw her umbrella aside, putting all her efforts on running as fast as he could, but still keeping herself between Souta and their assailant. The beast slid on the pavement as it leapt out of the alleyway, its sharp claws making little clicking sounds on the wet pavement as it ran. One maul from those things and Kagome was sure she would need stitches to put her back together again. They couldn't out run it for long though. Kagome looked around, desperate for an escape. 

"Souta, the coffee shop!" There it was, right in front of them. If she could get there, if they could get inside, then they'd be safe. "Hurry!" 

Her heart sank, however, as Souta slipped on the wet pavement and went sprawling face first across the sidewalk. No. "SOUTA!!"

She stopped, her sneakers skidding to a halt on the wet cement as she whirled around to face the snarling attack dog that was after them. She had to stop him somehow. Maybe, if she could...

Whatever plan she had been forming in her head vanished as the angry beast leapt at her, fangs bared, aiming for her throat. This was it. She was going to die. Afraid, Kagome shut her eyes and waited for the final blow. 

"Stupid bitch, look out!"

Kagome was surprised when she felt weight not on her front, as she had expected, but at her side as she was shoved over and sent sprawling onto the street. Recovering from her shock, she turned over just in time to see the animal trainer from the circus begin wrestling the beast to the ground, trying to slip a muzzle over it's mouth. Kagome wasn't sure if she should try to help or turn and flee while she had the chance. Instead, she settled for sitting there on her ass, watching as the young man was finally successful in pulling the muzzle over the struggling dog. 

"Damn it, Sesshoumaru! You as bad as the bastard I named you after!!"

Surprisingly, the dog stopped struggling and just lay down on the pavement, rather grudgingly admitting defeat, for the time being. The trainer gave his head a shake before turning just enough to glance at Kagome in his peripheral vision. 

"Oi, You alright?"

Kagome blinked for a moment before giving herself the once over and deciding she was.

"I...I think so. What about-"

"NE-CHAN!!" 

Kagome's sentence was cut short as her lower half was suddenly captured in a death hug by her little brother.

"Ne-chan! Ne-chan! I was so scared!!" Souta sobbed into the folds of her skirt. Kagome caught the white-haired man giving them a worrying look. Kagome sighed and crouched down to see if she could calm her little bro. 

"Souta! Come on now. You're not hurt are you?" Souta shook his head furiously, but didn't release her from his grip. Kagome gave an exasperated sigh, and changed her tone to be just slightly chiding. "Well then what are you crying about? Huh? Come on now, be brave. Really, you're supposed to be a boy, aren't you? Stop being such a fraidy-cat."

Souta bit his lower lip and took deep breath to calm himself. A minute later, he finally loosened his grip on Kagome and settled for just holding her hand. Kagome turned to the young man who was still standing there, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Um, Thankyou, for what you did just now. I really owe you a lot..."

"Keh!" 

Well that certainly hadn't been the type of reaction Kagome had been expecting. She stared at him a moment, startled, before she noticed... "Oh my god, your bleeding! Why didn't you say something earlier. Here let me take a look at it."

"It's noth..."

The girl, however, had already taken a gentle hold of his arm and delicately lifted up the fabric to reveal the wound. She gasped. 

"This is really deep, you're probably going to need stitches. Here I think I got a...aha! There we go. That should hold it for now. Does it hurt a lot?" 

Inuyasha watched the girl examine his arm, surprised at how gently she managed to tie a white handkerchief around the wound. He looked up again to meet her gaze, only a few inches from his own, not having heard a word she said.

"Huh?" 

"I asked you if this was hurting you a lot." She stood up then, backing off, giving him space to breathe and think. "We could take you back to our place if you wanted. I could get some proper bandages, not to mention it would be dry. It's not too far now..."

Inuyasha just continued to stare at her. Here she was, asking him, a complete stranger, to come with her back to her house, after she had almost been killed by his dog just moments before. 

"...What are you, some kinda retard?" 

Well, Inuyasha was never one to think before he spoke. Kagome stared at him, blinking. 

"Hey now! That wasn't very nice! I was just trying to..."

"Save you're breath, 'cause I don't have time right now." he started to walk away. "You'd better get yourself back home before you catch a cold." 

Kagome just watched him walk away through the pouring rain, to flustered to say anything. Finally, once he was out of sight, an appropriate word came to mind. 

"That...that...JERK!" 

Abruptly she grabbed Souta's hand, spun on her heel and stared walking back towards her shrine ground home, swearing that if she ever saw that jerk again, she'd punch him.

*~*~*~*~* 


	2. Deja vu in the rain

Circus of Four Souls

Note: I encountered one of these small tent circuses when I was living in France with one of my distant relatives as a sort of inter family exchange. Unlike the big tent, 3 ring circuses more commonly seen over here, these mini circuses offer an incredibly unique and intimate performance to small audiences of maybe 50 people, max. These are the type of circuses kids dreamed of running away to join way back when ribbon candy was still popular. 

The performers of these circuses travel in small family like groups going from town to town, setting up, staying for maybe a week or less until the police kick them out, and then moving on. From what I gathered, they are trained from a very small age, and grow up to have multiple talents in doing stunts, juggling, contorting, acrobatics, feats of strength, etc. Their lives are hard and they live probably just above, or at the poverty level. I observed that all their clothes appeared to be second hand, they lived in trailers and I do believe the majority of their expenses were spent on keeping their elaborate collection of exotic animals well and fed. 

From what I gathered, these small circus groups are almost never received with a warm welcome, mainly because whenever there is a large group of gypsies around, the theft rate mysteriously doubles and then goes back to normal once they leave. The local politicians, ie, the mayors, will tolerate them for a short amount of time before sending them packing as fast as they can. It's not an easy life, but hey, some people like a challenge. 

Anyway, this is my dramatisation of that life, enjoy. 

P.S. I got the idea of the dog escaping from the circus after watching a baby camel take off down the street with the trainer/clown, makeup and all, chasing after it yelling incomprehensibly in French. It was funny, and actually seemed to fit in with the rest of the evening like a well placed cliche. 

P.P.S. I am going to be having this story take place in France, just because I want to. However, it will end up being a mixture of cultures, mainly because I have no clue how the legal system works in France. Also, some of the characters wouldn't be the same without their little Japanese traits. Names like Houshi-sama, hentai, ji-chan, and so on help make the characters who they are, so I'll be throwing them in at random too, just for some variety. 

Now without further ado,

Circus of Four Souls

Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*

Early one fall, as Kagome watched the rain pour down from the evening sky in torrents, the circus was the last thing on her mind. Today, just like every other day, her thoughts were turned completely and totally to survival, hers and Souta's. Ever since that fateful night three months ago that had turned their lives upside down, she had thought of nothing but getting food, shelter and staying warm. Sighing, Kagome let her mind drift back...

*~*~*~*~*

It all started with a car crash. Simple, blunt, easy as that, like every other car crash you hear about on the late evening news. The car had swerved through an intersection and hit another vehicle going full speed. Paramedics were on the scene, two people had been pronounced dead, nothing new. Only this time, the two victims had been none other than Kagome's mother and grandfather. Two of the three most important people in her life, were suddenly gone, just like that.

She had been almost catatonic then, sitting there, holding Souta in her lap while he alternately sobbed his eyes out or cried in silence. They kept talking to her for some reason. No, there was no one else who could take them in. Their father had succumbed to cancer five years ago. Why was that important? Grandpa and Mama were dead.

"...we will have no choice but to set you up in foster homes..."

Kagome nodded mutely as the nice looking lady with too much make-up talked in soothing tones. She briefly noted that the office was in soft, pastel colours, because bright colours upset people more. 

Funny, her grandfather and mother were dead, didn't that give her a reason to be upset? 

...Probably not. After all, the lady before her, this room she was in, all existed because things like car crashes happened all the time. People's loved ones died everyday... so why did it suddenly hurt so much? 

"Now," the lady was saying, "because Souta is so young, it should be no problem finding him a nice foster family to take care of him. We have several young couples, in fact, that would absolutely jump at the chance to adopt a cute, brave, little guy like you. Isn't that right Souta-chan?

Souta sniffed slightly in Kagome's arms. His eyes were starting to droop, Kagome noticed. No surprise there, it was way past his bed time. They should think about getting home...

"However, Kagome, I'm afraid that it's very rare for someone of you're age to be accepted for adoption. Usually, in cases like this, we would find you placement in a group foster home near Souta's adopted family's home, so that you can see each other on a weekly basis and-"

"What?" Kagome was looking up at her, startled, finally registering the conversation in her mind. 

"As I said a while back Kagome, there is no way that we could find a family willing to adopt both of you. You're age difference is just too..."

"You-You're splitting us up?!" Panic was in her voice now, increasing quickly to a full scale hysteria. She'd just lost her Ji-chan, and Mama, now they wanted to take Souta away too? The bottom of her stomach started to drop out, but was quickly stopped by the bile rising in her throat. She was going to lose Souta, she was going to lose Souta....

She was NOT going to lose Souta!!

"I know this must be very hard for you but it what's best for..."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW!" Kagome suddenly yelled, rising from her seat. She was angry now, incredibly angry. This woman, how dare she!! She was not losing Souta! Never!

"Kagome-chan, please, calm down-" 

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!!" She slowly backed away, "AND DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME KAGOME-CHAN!! She fumbled with the door handle, clutching Souta to her chest, "YOU WILL NOT TAKE SOUTA FROM ME!!" The woman was making a phone call, "Get me security."

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Kagome continued, oblivious. "NEVER!!!" and with that, she was out the door, running through the halls, down the fire escape, and out into the night. 

Driven by instincts, she headed for the subway, jumping into the crowded subway at the very last second. Quickly, she changed cars, and then kept changing trains at the various stations, until the subway lines closed down at 1:00 in the morning. Running on primal fear, she walked all the way home, never once letting go of the child she carried in her arms. Souta, for his part, dozed lightly, waking up just occasionally to stretch his stiff limbs. Only once did he ever open his mouth to speak. 

"Nee-chan, where are we going?" he had asked.

"We're running away." She had answered, panting slightly, arms aching from having carried an 7 year old boy in her arms for almost three hours. There was no way she was going to put him down though. No way ever!!

"Oh, okay." Souta had yawned and snuggled closer into Kagome's tired arms. He didn't ask any questions, didn't demand any answers. He trusted his big Sis to look after everything, so it would be okay. As long as she was with him, everything would be fine. 

Upon reaching the house that was no longer their home, Kagome had slipped in the back gate, leaving Souta curled up under some bushes, hidden. It was a good thing Kagome's Grandfather had never trusted banks. At one point, she had called him absolutely crazy for hiding his life savings in an old wooden chest in the back of the shrine storage shed. Now, she couldn't have been happier. There was almost 200$ saved up there, and although Kagome didn't know where it might take her, she knew it would come in very handy. Grabbing Souta up again, dodging the roaming police cars, she left her home, realising only distantly, that she'd probably never see it again. 

*~*~*~*~*

Now, months later, here she was, curled up under some bridge watching the rain. Souta slept on at her side, snuggled tightly in Kagome's "new" winter jacket. She had spent the 178.67$ her grandfather had left her carefully, mainly buying the cheapest fresh produce she could find in the grocery stores, and a pair of warmer second hand clothes. Winter was coming, and even though it rarely got cold enough to snow in Paris, it was still far too chilly for camping out under street lamps and bridges like they had been forced to. Souta would get sick, and then they'd have to go to the hospital, and be found. The police would come and take Souta away, and she'd probably never be allowed to see him again. Kagome wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't lose Souta, her only family, no matter what.

So, they were heading south, bit by bit, day by day, far too slow for Kagome's liking. It had rained the last few days, keeping their rate of travel to almost nothing. It was unseasonably cold. Souta really would start to get sick if she didn't think of something soon. Their remaining funds were a little less than 10$, which wasn't even going to feed them for the rest of the week, let alone buy a bottle of children's Tylenol. Maybe if Kagome stopped eating...but then she would be the one to get sick, and that would be just as bad. 

Grimacing at the situation, Kagome slowly picked herself up off of the dirt, stretching the chill and stiffness out of her limbs. Hugging her oversized sweater close to her body, she leaned up against one of the support beams of the bridge and let her gaze drift upwards to the darkening grey sky. Oh she knew. She knew very well how a 15 year old girl could make a veritable sum of money in just one night, without so much as leaving her name for her employer. The question was, could she bring herself to do it? She was an innocent, she knew. Hell, she'd never even kissed a boy, and now she was thinking of...

But if she didn't, she'd lose Souta. They'd have to turn themselves in, and the she would probably be forbidden from seeing him, just in case she decided kidnap him again. 

Then, she also thought, "Maybe he'd be better off without me? 

It was probably true. All these long months, travelling around, cold, half starved, sleeping under bridges. Souta had never complained once. He understood they wanted to take him away from his Ne-chan. He didn't want that. What Kagome wasn't quite sure of, though, was if he understood that he could have been in a new home, with a new family, a loving mother and father, a warm bed, friends, a new school, clothes that actually fit...

"You fucking DOG! Get back here!!" 

Kagome was startled out of her thoughts. Someone was coming? "Who?" She wondered, "What would someone be doing out on a miserable night like this?" 

The quick rustling of thick, tall grass came closer, and suddenly, a very large dog emerged from the dripping flora. It skid to a quick halt the moment it saw her. Then, it crouched low, a growl forming in it's throat, Kagome held her breath...

"Gotcha!"

There was a surprised yelp and a grunt as something streaked out of no where and ploughed into the distracted canine. The tangle red and white rolled forcefully down the river embankment, stopping just at the point of falling into the sluggishly moving water. There, the second figure pinned the dog down, slipped a muzzle over it's fang filled mouth, and stumbled back up to it's feet. 

"God damned mutt!" Inuyasha wanted to say more, but he was too out of breath. Insteade, he gave the dog a well earned kick in the ribs, not enough to hurt it, but enough to show his displeasure. Sessoumaru growled in return, and started to paw distastefully at the straps around his mouth. Otherwise, he seemed perfectly calm. Inuyasha shook his head and turned to head back to camp. To say he was surprised at the sight of a girl sanding there would have to of been a slight understatement. For a moment, all he could do was stare... 

...and Kagome stared right back, a strange feeling of deja vu tugging her mouth into a thoughtful scowl. She recognised this boy. Somewhere before, she'd seen him...

"The circus..." she suddenly realised, not quite aware she'd said it out loud. 

"What?" 

Kagome blinked, snapping her eyes back into focus on the man in front of her. "Oh, nothing..." Great...would he recognise her? What was she going to tell him? Could she say she was on a walk? Visiting relatives?

"Oi! You got a problem or something bitch?"

"Eh? Excuse me?"

  
"I said, you got a fucking problem!?"

Yes, she had a problem, she had a lot of them in fact, but somehow she didn't think he was referring to any of them...

"Move you wench!" 

..but he needn't be so rude!

"Why should I move? I was here first!"

"Because you're blocking the fucking path!"

"Oh." Kagome looked around to see that she was indeed blocking the path up to the road. Sighing, she took a step back, leaving enough space for the jerk to get past. Her pride wouldn't allow her to give any more. The two youths glared at each other as he passed. Then, the silver hared boy gave a haughty snort before snapping his head forward and continuing on his way. Kagome sighed and leaned back against the support of the bridge. "Jerk," she thought. Then she became aware of a slight whimpering sound behind her, Souta...

Worried, she went to his side and began to gently stroke his forehead with her own cold hand, hoping to calm him. Souta's eyes fluttered open, and instead of calming down, he opened up his mouth to let out a full fledged wail. 

"WAHHHHH! NEE-CHAN! WAHHHHHH!!!" 

"Shhhh, Souta-chan, shhhhh. It's okay. Everything's fine..." She tried to sound calm, but inside, her mind was in panic. He'd never cried before. Not once. 

"Nee...(hic)...Nee-chan! My ear! My ear hurtssssswaaaahhhhhhhhh!" He tried to bury his face in her stomach, which was probably the only thing that told Kagome she still had one. Her worst fears had come true, Souta was sick. What would she do now? What would she do? 

Inuyasha watched the girl pull the little boy up against her, rolling her body around him as if trying to hide them both from the world. Runaways, he realised. He'd thought there was something strange about the wet girl standing by the bridge as if she owned it. Now he knew. Swallowing the slight well of unhappy emotions in his throat, he shouted. 

"Oi!" 

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud voice. Had they been found? Were they going to be turned in? Could she run? Would she? She froze as she looked up at two almost glowing golden eyes, and she thought she saw him wince. Oh, it was just the guy from the circus. 

"What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to scare me to death? I thought you left already!" 

The circus boy rolled his eyes and walked forward under the bridge, dog following obediently at his side, or maybe it just didn't like the way the rope yanked his nose. Souta sniffled and Kagome shuffled backwards a few more feet. Inuyasha stopped and stared at her a moment, giving her a frustrated sigh. 

"Look woman, I'm trying to help here, but if you don't want it, I'll leave. I've got better things to do with my time!" 

  
Well that wasn't a word Kagome had heard in the last six months. "Help?"

Inuyasha continued to hold her in his steady gaze. "Yeah, help. Are you coming or not?"

Kagome bit her lip. Should she take it? Was it safe? What if helping meant turning her in... A half sob from Souta quickly made up her mind for her. Slowly, she dragger herself up to her feet, carrying Souta loosely in her arms. She couldn't do this anymore, she was too tired, and it wasn't fair to Souta. Whatever help this guy was offering, she'd take it. Hopefully, it would turn out for the best... 

With a nod, Inuyasha set off, walking deliberately slow to allow for the girl's weakened condition. They both looked like shit, but she looked worse, ready to topple over at any moment. He would even have offered to take the brat off her hands so that she didn't have to carry the added weight, but somehow, he sensed that would be like pressing the red button. She seemed rather protective of the little runt... 

...and still, in the back of his head, he couldn't shake of this feeling of deja-vu. As if he'd seen her, somewhere before... 

*~*~*~*~*

P.P.P.S. (Last one, I promise.) I didn't edit this one very well. It's too depressing to be able to pay attention to. Sorry if it sucks... 


	3. Newcomers

A/N: Man, I really left this one didn't I! Sorry. Anyway, here's one more chapter, just for the hay of it. 

Circus of Four Souls

*~*~*~*~*

"God damned…" whack, whack, "…stupid piece of…" Whak! 

Buzzzzzzzzz.

" Miroku, the damned TV isn't going to work tonight. Why don't you give it up before you break it."

"If I recall correctly, Kouga, the last time we had to buy a TV it was because YOU broke it while fighting with Inuyasha."

Kouga stopped his dumbbell curls long enough to shook Miroku an evil glare, before resuming his exercises. 

Miroku turned back to the TV. "Must be the rain jamming the signal…maybe if I try this…" He fiddled with some knobs. 

Buzz…wheeeow…bleep…snap….

"Yes, yes, come on!" 

Bloop….buzzzzzz….

  
"Awe, sonovabitch!" With one final 'Whack,' Miroku finally gave up trying to fix the TV and turned it off. 

"Miroku!" Sango scolded, still cleaning the dishes in the little plastic wash tub they used as a sink. "Don't swear in front of Shippo and Rin!"

However, the two little kids at the table were so involved in their snakes and ladders game that they couldn't have cared less. 

If the remaining member of the group had noticed any of this commotion, she gave no indication. Like always, Kikyo seemed too absorbed in her book to take notice of the outside world. The others often teased her, saying that the trailer could burn down and Kikyo would be too busy reading to notice. 

Kaede sat back in her chair, a worn old high back covered in coffee stains and the occasional hole, and smiled quietly at the regular antics taking place under her trailer roof. They didn't always gather like this in the evenings, it was after all, a relatively small space, but on days when it rained, or got too cold, this was home. Her home, with her family, a rag-tag group of gypsies travelling the country, now gradually heading south for the winter.

…there was only one person missing.

"Yay! I won, I won!" This was the joyful shout from Shippo as he stood up on his chair and began waving his arms. His older competitor, Rin, simply gave an indignant huff and folded her arms over her chest, sulking. Any one in the tent could have predicted the next words coming out of her mouth in less than three guesses. 

"Rin wishes Sessoumaru was here. Kaeda-bachan, when's Inuyasha going to bring Sessoumaru-sama back?"

"Bah! If Inu's smart, he won't bring him back. That old mutt is more trouble than he's worth. I've lost count of how many time's he's gotten loose."

"Don't say that about Sessoumaru-sama! He's a good dog! He just doesn't like being tied up, that's all!" Rin, as always, was quick to defend her savior. She could have gone on for hours about her great 'Sessoumaru-sama,' however at that moment, the aluminum door handle began to squeal loudly as someone turned it from the outside. A few seconds later it was pulled open as a gust of cold air rushed into the hut. Rin ran to the door and waited expectantly, and Kikyou put down her book. 

"Sessoumaru-sama!" and indeed the dog was the first person through the door. He shook himself off while his head was instantly encased by Rin's eager embrace. Surprisingly the large animal did not pull away, nor did it struggle. In fact, it seemed quite content to stay within the young girl's company while she brought him across the linoleum floor to make room by the entrance. The rest of the rooms occupants were waiting patiently for the next inevitable arrival, mainly Inuyasha, and indeed there he was already in the doorway. What surprised everyone, though, was the fact that he didn't come in right away. Instead, he stood there, holding the door open to the cold, waiting, and they continued to wait until Inuyasha finally reached the end of his patience and barked out, "Oi, wench, get in here! We're letting all the heat out!" 

Now, that sparked everyone's curiosity. They waited and watched with baited breath while a third and final figure appeared timidly in the door, and ever so cautiously, stepped into the light. 

Eyebrows went up, hands were placed over mouths, but surprisingly that was all. The single figure had turned out to be two figures, huddled so close together it was difficult to distinguish them as such in the dim light. Kaede scowled thoughtfully as she speculated them through her one good eye. A young thin boy and an older, thinner girl. Ignoring the creaking in her joints, the old woman was the first to move, shuffling slowly across the room, keeping the soaked pair under a firm, thoughtful gaze.

"Hmmm. Let's see. What do we have here." The girl seemed to shrink back from the old woman's advances, but in the tiny trailer, there was little room to back into. Luckily Kaede stopped just a few feet before her, slowly taking them in with her one good eye. Quietly, she began muttering, almost to herself. 

"...Kids....obviously runaways...hmmm," Kaede spoke quietly, noting to herself how scared the girl appeared, and how she seemed to clutch the boy protectively to her. It was this action which confirmed to Kaede that goodness she felt about this girl was genuine. 

Kagome watched as the old lady's face broke into a smile. Not a leering, overly friendly smile, but a confident, gentle, half-smile, which showed kindness and yet commanded respect all at once. Slowly, the old lady shuffled back, gesturing to Kagome what she should sit down on a nearby chair.

"Yare, yare," Kaede chided gently. "Look at you, both soaked to the bone. Kikyo, bring a towel over here too will you?" 

Kikyo was way ahead of the old woman, and was already beginning to pass them out, starting with Inuyasha, of course, then to the two new comers, and finally, one for Rin to dry off Sesshoumaru with, so that he wouldn't track mud throughout the tiny trailer. Meanwhile, Kaede was looking around, first at Kagome, then sizing up her own crew, then glancing back at Souta. Finally she announced, "Shippo, go grab a pair of your largest pants and a sweater for the boy. And Kikyo, if you could please, do the same for the girl. She seems to be closest your size as well." 

The mentioned two zoomed off to do the old woman's bidding, while the rest of the crew continued to stare at the newcomers, while Inuyasha removed his top and wrung out his hair in the sink, and Rin rubbed off Sesshoumaru on the floor. The silence was becoming eerie and uncomfortable for the girl, and Kaede could sense it. Quickly she barked, "Sango, make some soup. Miroku, put the kettle on for tea. Kouga, you go fetch the first aid kit from the cab of the truck." 

With the rest of the crew well and on their way to doing the old woman's bidding, Kaede at last turned to speak to the girl. "Now then, girl, what is your name?" 

"K-kagome, m'am." Her voice was little more than a broken squeak as she wrung her cold hands in the unused towel, unwilling to remove her arms from where they were wrapped around the young boy's back. 

Kaede took all this in, and gave a knowing nod. "Good Kagome. And who is this with you here?"

The girl's nervousness doubled as she choked out, "S-Souta, my brother..."

Another nod as Kouga returned with the first aid kit, followed by Kikyo with her clothes. With a glance over at Shippo, who stood waiting patiently, cloths in hand, Kaede backed up, signaling to Kagome to rise.

"Shippo, pull the curtain shut. Kagome, take an extra towel and go change in the back. We'll worry more about other things once you two are dry." 

Quietly, Kikyo went and placed her clothes on the bed she had been reading on earlier, while Shippo closed the curtains used to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the trailer. Stiffly, Kagome rose and made her way over to the back of the trailer, and disappeared behind the curtain. 

Once she was hidden, Kaede turned to Inuyasha, who had since dried off and was now leaning against the side of the trailer with his golden eyes shut. 

"Inuyasha," she began, "Go find something to make a decent bed out of and set it up in your trailer. I want you to give your bed to Kagome for at least tonight."

Inuyasha's eyes shot open and his mouth dropped. However, he hardly remained speechless for more than a few seconds, "Wh-what the fuck old hag! There's no way in hell I'm giving my bed up for that wench. Why does she have to sleep in my trailer any ways?" 

If Inuyasha's gaze was dark, it held none of the promised misery that could be seen in Kaede's eyes at his defiance. Still, her voice remained calm as she reasoned, "Inuyasha, you're the only one who has space to share with someone. Sango and Kikyo's trailer is already full, as is Miroku's and Kouga's, though I wouldn't dream of putting her there. You were the once who brought her here, I would think you would at least have the courtesy to..."

She was cut off, however as a sudden wail went up on the other side of the curtain. "Nee-chan it hurts. My ear hurts, Neee-waaahhhh!"

"Shhhh, Souta, it's okay, just calm down. Please? Well look after it I promise." Kagome's words, however, seemed to be of little use in calming the child, who only stopped wailing and began sobbing quietly. Kaede shot Inuyasha a warning glare before walking over and vanishing, herself, behind the curtain, snatching the first aid kit from Kouga as she went. 

The remaining members of the group all shot Inuyasha an evil glare...

"...Keh!" And shaking his head, Inuyasha stormed out of the trailer to do the old woman's bidding. 

Meanwhile behind the curtain, Souta had stopped crying in shock at the sudden appearance of a wrinkled old lady. Rubbing the sleep and tears from his eyes, it only took him a few seconds more to deduce that he and Kagome were inside a structure of some kind, and that he was wearing different clothes. 

These sudden revelations brought a startled "eep" from the boy as he backed up on the bed to grasp at his sister's jeans, only to discover that the jeans had changed to green track pants, and her sweatshirt was no longer black, but white. But how? And where were they? Had they been caught at last? Were they going to take his sister away? 

It was only the Kagome's comforting embrace which allowed him to feel at least somewhat safe. Eyes wide, he looked up at her and whispered, "Nee-chan?"

Kagome knelt down to his level. "It's okay Souta. They're not going to take us anywhere. These kind people are just letting us stay here for awhile...until the rain stops." She added the last part in hesitantly, having heard what Kaede had said about a bed, but not wanting to make assumptions just yet.

For his part, Souta nodded slowly and once again turned to look at the old woman who was still waiting by the curtain. She smiled that same, trusting smile and took a seat on the bed before Souta. "So," she began, "You must be Souta. How are you feeling child?"

Souta screwed up his face, as if the question demanded great thought, and looked towards his sister for support. When Kagome didn't say anything, he finally spoke. "Fine, except my ear hurts..."

Kaede nodded sagely. "Ahhh, I see. Would you mind if I took a look at it young man? I've come to know a thing or two about earaches over the years."

Another glance at his sister, and slowly, Souta began to inch over to the old lady. Kaede pulled out a tiny flashlight, and grasping his chin gently, used it to see into the boy's ear. 

"Hmmmm, indeed it is quite red. Luckily, I think I have just the thing. Lie down here boy." 

While Kaede was busy applying drops into the boy's ears, Sango popped her head in through the curtains, pushing them open as she saw they were no longer needed. She announced that the soup was ready, and Souta's eyes went wide at the mention of food. Kaede had to hold him down a minute, reminding him to keep still to allow the drops to settle into his ear. Sango smiled at Kagome, who was so busy watching Souta that she didn't notice right away. 

When she did, Kagome smiled back timidly, and suddenly realized that she had no clue who any of the people around them were.

*~*~*~*~* 


End file.
